President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated atolls are no longer neglected from national development. He made the remarks while detailing the government's vision for undertaking developmental projects while delivering the Presidential Address at the Parliament of the Maldives.
Delivering the address, President Solih said the projects were designed to drive the economy by facilitating opportunities and keeping the livelihoods of Maldivians in check. The president went on to highlight how the administration eased transportation difficulties in 28 islands by completing harbour development projects and said an additional 134 harbour development projects are currently ongoing.
He also said the government contracted parties to establish water and sewerage networks in all remaining islands late last year, in line with the administration's efforts to establish water and sewerage network projects in all inhabited islands of the Maldives. He added ongoing road development projects across the nation, including 240km of roads in 17 islands and in three cities.
Furthermore, President Solih disclosed that the government increased power generation by two-fold during its three years in office, doubling the total capacity recorded in the last 70 years combined, in an effort to improve electricity services across the country The president said that the output generated from renewable energy sources on 128 islands totalled 36.5 megawatts, underlining the importance of adopting sustainable energy sources. He expressed optimism on installing solar units in a thousand homes before the end of the year under its home solar programme.
Additionally, President Solih disclosed information on efforts to establish tertiary-level hospitals in five regions of the country, as part of the plan to promote decentralised governance. He said these efforts include the standardisation of hospitals and the introduction of new services and that the hospitals already offer a wide range of specialty services to the public.